Original data report  ·  Last updated June 30, 2026

State of Affiliate Programs 2026: data from 134 verified programs

What commission models, cookie windows, and networks actually look like across the affiliate programs we track, with the numbers behind every claim.

Source and scope. Every figure on this page is computed from AffiliateJob's directory of verified affiliate programs as of June 2026: 134 programs that run a public affiliate program, plus 18 brands we track that do not currently offer one. The underlying data is open and machine readable at /data/programs.json, and the network reliability scores at /data/trust-layer-index.json. Read how we verify programs in our methodology. These are figures for the programs we cover, not an estimate of the entire affiliate industry.

Commission models: recurring vs one time

Just under half of the programs we track pay recurring commission, meaning the affiliate keeps earning every month the customer stays subscribed. The other 56% pay a one time bounty per sale or qualified action.

Among the 59 recurring programs, the median advertised rate is 30% of the subscription, ranging from 7% at the low end to 100% (usually a 100% first month offer) at the high end. One time programs are quoted as flat bounties instead, anywhere from a couple of dollars per signup to several hundred dollars per funded financial account.

Cookie windows

The cookie window is how long after a click the affiliate still gets credit for a sale. The 30 day cookie is the default by a wide margin, but there is a meaningful long tail of programs offering 90 days or more, which matters most for considered, slower purchases.

Put together, the most common single value is 30 days (58 of 127 programs with a defined window), the mean is about 60 days, and 29% of programs offer a 90 day or longer cookie. Six programs offer a true lifetime cookie. Programs with no public affiliate program are excluded from these cookie figures.

Two tier is rare

Two tier programs pay you a second layer of commission on the affiliates you recruit, not just on your own sales. It is often talked up, but it is uncommon: only 13% of the programs we track offer it. Where it does exist, it concentrates in two niches, SaaS (44% of SaaS programs) and hosting (31%), and is close to absent everywhere else.

Networks and the in house shift

A third of programs skip affiliate networks entirely. 34% run their program in house, handling tracking and payouts on their own stack rather than through a marketplace. Among programs that do use a third party network, two platforms dominate.

Network reliability index (Trust Layer Metric)

Commission rate means nothing if you do not get paid. Our Trust Layer Metric scores each network on documented payout reliability, payout speed, data transparency, policy stability, and fraud controls, on a 0 to 100 scale. It is an editorial composite from published payout terms and community payment reports, not measured telemetry. The formula is TLM = 0.35 payment reliability + 0.15 payout speed + 0.20 data transparency + 0.15 policy stability + 0.15 fraud controls.

The average score across the 13 networks is 79. Six networks land in the Trusted band (80 to 100) and seven in the Stable band (60 to 79). The full reliability methodology lives at affiliate networks ranked by reliability.

The picture by category

The averages hide big differences between niches. Software categories are overwhelmingly recurring with longer cookies, while finance, crypto, travel, and security run on one time bounties with short windows. This table is the quickest way to see where a given content niche sits.

Five takeaways for affiliates

• If you want recurring income, follow the software. SEO tools (80%), productivity (83%), email marketing (78%), SaaS (72%), and AI tools (71%) are where recurring commission concentrates. Finance, crypto, travel, and security are one time bounty games.
• 30% recurring is the benchmark. It is the median recurring rate, so an offer below 30% is below market and one above it is genuinely competitive.
• A 90 day cookie is a real edge. Only 29% of programs offer one, so for considered purchases it is worth weighting your picks toward the longer window.
• Do not chase two tier. Only 13% of programs offer it, mostly in SaaS and hosting. It is a nice bonus, not a category you can build around.
• Vet the payout layer, not just the rate. A third of programs pay in house, and network reliability ranges from 89 down to 69 on our index. Where the money flows through matters as much as the headline percentage.

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